Today's Scripture Readings

Saints, Feasts, and Readings for 9/18/2013

Prayer Before Reading Holy Scripture

O Master Who loves mankind, illuminate our hearts with the pure light of Your divine knowledge and open the eyes of our mind to understand the teachings of Your Gospel. Instill in us also the fear of Your blessed commandments, that we may overcome all carnal desires, entering upon a spiritual life and understanding and acting in all things according to Your holy will. For You are the enlightenment of our souls and bodies, O Christ God, and to You we give glory together with Your eternal Father and Your all-holy, gracious and life-giving Spirit, now and ever and forever. Amen.

Epistle Reading: 2 Corinthians 9:12-10:7

For the administration of this service not only
supplies the needs of the saints, but also is abounding through many
thanksgivings to God,

while, through the proof of this ministry, they
glorify God for the obedience of your confession to the gospel of Christ,
and for your liberal sharing with them and all men,

and by their prayer for you, who long for you because
of the exceeding grace of God in you.

Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!

Now I, Paul, myself am pleading with you by the
meekness and gentleness of Christ; who in presence am lowly among you, but
being absent am bold toward you.

But I beg you that when I am present I may not be bold
with that confidence by which I intend to be bold against some, who think
of us as if we walked according to the flesh.

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war
according to the flesh.

For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but
mighty in God for pulling down strongholds,

casting down arguments and every high thing that
exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into
captivity to the obedience of Christ,

and being ready to punish all disobedience when your
obedience is fulfilled.

Do you look at things according to the outward
appearance? If anyone is convinced in himself that he is Christ's, let him
again consider this in himself, that just as he is Christ's, even so we are
Christ's.

Gospel Reading: Mark 3:20-27

And the multitude came together again, so that they could not
so much as eat bread.

But when His own people heard about this, they went out to lay
hold of Him, for they said, "He is out of His mind."

And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, "He has
Beelzebub," and, "By the ruler of the demons He casts out demons."

So He called them to Him and said to them in parables: "How can
Satan cast out Satan?

"If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot
stand.

"And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot
stand.

"And if Satan has risen up against himself, and is divided, he
cannot stand, but has an end.

"No one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods,
unless he first binds the strong man, and then he will plunder his house.

Saints and Feasts

Holy Prophet Zacharias, Father of the Venerable Forerunner; Urban, Theodore, & Medimnos the Hieromartyrs and the 77 Companions at Nicomedea

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The Old Calendar readings are from the New King James Version of the Bible.